It is confirmed that the crashed Jeju Air passenger plane is hit by birds

Report, photo copyright by : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA

According to Yonhap News Agency, on 7 January 2025, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of South Korea (hereinafter referred to as the "Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport") confirmed for the first time that the crashed Jeju Air passenger plane was hit by birds.

Lee Seung-ryul (sound), head of the accident investigation team of the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Committee, said at a press conference that the Jeju Air crash at Muan International Airport collided with a flock of birds. Lee Seung-ryul said that the traces of (bird strike) on the recovered engine were obvious, but the specific investigation results still need to be waited for. Since some feathers were found during the cleaning of the engine mud, the investigation team plans to inspect the inside of the engine while investigating the type of (bird flock) and how to enter (engine), and plans to analyze the bird feathers together with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.

When asked about the progress of the flight data recorder (FDR) that has been sent to the United States for analysis, Lee Seung-ryul said that it would take three days to extract the data and about one or two days to confirm the basic data. However, it may take several months to compare the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and the monitoring timeline one by one.

In addition, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport insisted that the localizer installed at Muan Airport and the concrete structure supporting the facility comply with regulations. However, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said that it will formulate an improvement plan to maximize the safety of related facilities and form a working group with the participation of experts to investigate the facilities at airports across the country.